Blow that Dough 2024

[tulak]

Zwift Ride with kickr core. $1230 with tax. Plus a $200/year subscription.

Should be here this week and I’m excited to try it out. I haven’t been cycling lately - always hard this time of year - and I’m hoping this will help improve my conditioning.

 

[skyking1]

with the power situation up in the air at the home build, I decided to up my generator game and got a 7.5KW light plant from the rental outfit I have dealt with for 20 years. They were clearing out inventory to spend some year end capital and I got it for a good price. It sips diesel at 1/3 GPH with a half load.

 

[ls99]

And skyking1 said, let there be light.

 

[skyking1]

People post up prices so I'll go ahead and say that that was $1,700 out the door for me. After paying 3% on the credit card and taxes.
EDIT: with a full tank of fuel

 

[simple girl]

Bought a solar shade blind for our lanai screened in area. $900 on a Black Friday sale, with coupons and cash back. It's hubby's "man cave". He's worth it.

 

[sengsational]

DW said " I'd like to see Victoria Falls" I replied "OK, make the arrangements".

She did.

I thought Victoria Falls was on the North Shore of our home state of Minnesota, a half day's drive. I found out is somewhere in Africa. We're going in March.....BTD is right.

That would be "International" Falls, LOL! There is "Virginia" up there, in "Da Range", Victoria, Virginia, Minnesota, Africa, whatever. You should be glad you have a DW that gets you off the couch. I have to do all the convincing to get mine to do anything.

I bought a 9.9 HP Mercury outboard motor. It was quite a struggle as the first one they prepped for me had a carb and I had wanted an EFI (electronic fuel injection).
Mercury just started making the 9.9 with EFI in June 2024 , they have it on bigger motors.

I didn't know they had changed over to 4 strokes on those smallest of outboards. I used a 49cc EFI Monkey Bike clone a few years ago... started and ran like a champ. I dealt with fickle 2 stroke motors most of my life. The power to weight was good, but not worth the temperamental nature of the technology.

 

[turbo89]

People post up prices so I'll go ahead and say that that was $1,700 out the door for me. After paying 3% on the credit card and taxes.
EDIT: with a full tank of fuel

That’s a great price… I’d love to
Find a whole house diesel generator in that price range; but they don’t seem to exist.

 

[Texas Proud]

Looks kinda big for a 7.5 KW.... maybe that is a lot of tank...

SOOOO, how big is the tank and how long can it run on that tank?

 

[skyking1]

30 gallons and 60 hours at 6KW load. We run it at much less load, so 90 hours is reasonable. 6 hours a day average = drive it down to the station every 15 working days. Or pack in 6 stinky cans.
While I have the company dump truck here I have a 100 gallon red fuel pump tank to use.

 

[RunningBum]

LL Bean Wicked Good Slippers. Just under $80 delivered with a 15% off black friday special.

 

[SecretlyFI]

The bucket list thread got me remembering our trip this year, in which the Grand Canyon was a BTD component (along with the 1st class airfare). This was the view from our balcony at the El Tovar. Stayed up till 2am EST a year in advance to book that room. Worth it! It was surprisingly un-crowded the week before Memorial Day. This photo was mid-morning and nobody around.

 

[DrRoy]

With sales tax, $993 for a new Nikon D7500 camera with the kit zoom lens. It's on sale with several hundred off, maybe because they're about to release a new model of the 7000 series, but it has enough incremental improvements over my 13-year-old D7000 to make it worthwhile. I think the better low-light capability will be the improvement I use the most. I did look at mirrorless cameras but I'm just not up to spending a pile more on one of those plus a whole new set of more-expensive lenses.

I've had a D7200 for 8 years or so. I keep a Sigma 100-400 mm zoom on it. I also have a D850 with a Nikon 16-35 mm. Both are really good cameras.

 

[DrRoy]

Update on the stereo upgrade. The new speakers arrived, and they were great. We could hear new elements in the music that we did not with the old speakers. The sound was more full, and more precise. So, what else might also be good? I researched integrated amplifiers, and then went to the (very good) audio store in town. After discussion with them, and some more listening tests, I decided to replace the 1990's vintage Pioneer receiver that was maybe $250 back then. Back home, more improvement in the sound. Last step - add a subwoofer. More wow. Grand total to date:

KEF R3 Meta speakers $2100
Rotel A14MKII amp $1800
REL T7/X subwoofer $1050
14 ga speaker wire and premium
component cable $100
Walnut speaker stands $450
Total $5500

 

[Chuckanut]

Update on the stereo upgrade. The new speakers arrived, and they were great. We could hear new elements in the music that we did not with the old speakers. The sound was more full, and more precise.

A wellthought out BTD is always gratifying. This is something you can enjoy for many years. Congratulations.

 

[jeroly]

I'm flying to Cape Town, South Africa.
When traveling, I usually find the cheapest fare I can, even if it involves long (up to 20 hour) airport layovers.
This time I'm B-ing TD and splurging on nonstop tickets.
Fifteen hours vs 39 for the cheapest ticket which would've saved approximately $300

 

[flyingaway]

I'm flying to Cape Town, South Africa.
When traveling, I usually find the cheapest fare I can, even if it involves long (up to 20 hour) airport layovers.
This time I'm B-ing TD and splurging on nonstop tickets.
Fifteen hours vs 39 for the cheapest ticket which would've saved approximately $300

I usually buy Basic Economy class seats to save about $100 over Economy class seats.

 

[flyingaway]

Just spent 8 days (12/17-24) in Merida and Isla Mujeres, Mexico. I don't know how much we spent and I don't care anymore. This is our last trip in 2024. We decided to go just one week before.

 

[BeFrank]

Wife and I bought a Tesla MYLR in 2023. Bought another one in 2024 (so I could have one). Paid for an AirBnB family weekend in Chicago for our three adult kids and their spouses/significant others. Looking forward to road trips through California, Nevada, and Arizona. Big trips out of the country intended for 2025 (Africa and Cuba at the top of the bucket list). New Apple Watches for Christmas 2024 and maybe new iPhones for Valentines Day 2025.

 

[Dash man]

We just bought a 2025 BMW 530i xDrive sedan with all the bells and whistles for DW. My frugal dear wife had always said “I would never spend that much for a car” Turns out she likes the BMW I bought four years ago that didn’t make us go bankrupt.
The new car is on the boat in port and should be ours in a week or two.

 

[Texas Proud]

We just bought a 2025 BMW 530i xDrive sedan with all the bells and whistles for DW. My frugal dear wife had always said “I would never spend that much for a car” Turns out she likes the BMW I bought four years ago that didn’t make us go bankrupt.
The new car is on the boat in port and should be ours in a week or two.

OH MAN.... I wonder if they still do what an old boss did... bought a 5 series and went to Europe to finalize the sale... and then drove it around Europe for a month... BMW shipped it to their house afterwards...

You might have to buy another so you can do that...

 

[Dash man]

OH MAN.... I wonder if they still do what an old boss did... bought a 5 series and went to Europe to finalize the sale... and then drove it around Europe for a month... BMW shipped it to their house afterwards...

You might have to buy another so you can do that...

I did that back in 1986 with a Volvo. It was a blast driving around Sweden when we bought it. We took it back to England on a ferry and drove if for three months before we returned to the US. We dropped it off at a port in London and they shipped it to Sacramento for us.

 

[NgineER]

We bought a Tesla MYLR as we had to upgrade to a two vehicle household as the oldest kids are more and more involved with sports. $7k out the door and a 60 month 0% loan so we don’t have to blow all the dough at once.

 

[skyking1]

I just booked two nights overlooking ( overhanging ) the Pacific Ocean at Ucluelet for ~1300 USD, with private hot tub and sauna.
Now I will go fill out the week with some airbnb along the way, possibly in Victoria. This is for our 39th anniversary together or 29th year of marriage.

 

[braumeister]

I did that back in 1986 with a Volvo. It was a blast driving around Sweden when we bought it. We took it back to England on a ferry and drove if for three months before we returned to the US. We dropped it off at a port in London and they shipped it to Sacramento for us.

Volvo still has the OSD (Overseas Delivery) program.
You order your car the way you want it, and they give you 5% off the MSRP plus two "economy plus" tickets to Sweden and a night or two in a Gothenburg hotel.
They deliver your car along with a personalized orientation to its various bells and whistles.
Then they give you two weeks of European insurance (you can buy more) so you can see the sights. When you turn it back in, they ship it to your local Volvo dealer for the final delivery. It costs something to turn it in at another city in Europe, but nothing to turn it back in at the Gothenburg factory.
It's a great program. I've done it once and will quite likely do it again the next time I'm looking for a car.

 

[Jerry1]

Volvo still has the OSD (Overseas Delivery) program.
You order your car the way you want it, and they give you 5% off the MSRP plus two "economy plus" tickets to Sweden and a night or two in a Gothenburg hotel.
They deliver your car along with a personalized orientation to its various bells and whistles.
Then they give you two weeks of European insurance (you can buy more) so you can see the sights. When you turn it back in, they ship it to your local Volvo dealer for the final delivery. It costs something to turn it in at another city in Europe, but nothing to turn it back in at the Gothenburg factory.
It's a great program. I've done it once and will quite likely do it again the next time I'm looking for a car.

Yeah, GM does that too. You get to order your car exactly how you want it and you get to pick it up in Detroit and drive around the city for a couple weeks.